inside an air force research lab in albuquerque, new mexico, scientists since the 1980s have been quietly developing one of the nation's most highly guarded military secrets, one of the "black" programs under the jurisdiction of the directed energy directorate. the electromagnetic bomb, or e-bomb, is a new class of weapon based on high-power surges, and it can render impotent even the most advanced digital weapons. aside from the rifle, the knife, and the grenade, there are few items in the 21st- century military arsenal that do not rely on transistors, circuit boards, and processors.

all the secrecy is due to the technological lead the u.s. has and the potential damage these weapons can inflict on u.s. military and civilian electronics. but the department of defense (dod) is beginning to release information.

e-bombsthe street term for what are known within military circles as high-power microwave (hpm) weaponsemit a short but powerful burst of electromagnetic pulses that can spike into the gigawatt range but last for only microseconds. in that short moment, an e-bomb emits enough energy to overwhelm its victima radar system, a radio, a gps receiver, or a computer. but the duration is so short that these pulses do not heat human skin or damage buildings, making them particularly desirable for use against an enemy who operates within civilian neighborhoods or uses human shields.

the pulses can invade via the target's antennas (this is known as front-door entry) or through unshielded wiring, circuits, and processors (backdoor entry). the effects can range from temporary system malfunctions and lockups to outright motherboard damage. some attacks could cause catastrophic and permanent damage.

the use of an hpm weapon may never be disclosed to the public, says james benford, president of microwave sciences. "hpm is a weapon of surprise. it's utterly deniable. the guys on the ground won't even think it was a weapon. they'll think something happened to their computer network again."

several hpm technologies are now ready to make the transition from development to deployment, according to a may 2000 air force study by colonel eileen walling, who headed the air force's hpm weapons programs in the late 1990s. she envisions various types of hpm weapons, including a so-called microwave munition, which is the closest thing to a true e-bomb.

dropped from an aircraft, a microwave munition would carry an hpm warhead that would release a pulse just above the target. it could be used for dangerous or sensitive missions, such as taking out an enemy surface-to-air missile battery parked next to a school.

the air force is also developing e-bombs carried by cruise missiles or unmanned combat aerial vehicles that can fly close to a target, disable it, and then move on to other targets. ultimately, the air force envisions manned hpm gunships that could perform close air support missions.

although e-bombs offer a truly new capability, the dod is likely to use them only on a limited basis. for one thing, they are expensive. many of the components do not have commercial applications that would help to offset the cost of development. and some of the delivery vehicles, such as unmanned combat aerial vehicles, do not yet exist.

strike planners will need to exercise care when deploying hpm weapons in urban areas. targets near hospitals will have to be avoided, or the hpm weapons could disable critical life support systems. finally, military electronic systems will not be vulnerable to hpm weapons forever, as manufacturers will begin to shield their military equipment.

with china, france, russia, and the u.k. developing hpm weapons, the proliferation of the technology across the globe over the next few decades is inevitable. just as with nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, the u.s. and other nations will scramble to keep the technology out of the hands of terrorists. one only has to consider what a terrorist in 2015 could accomplish with a suitcase-size hpm device and a taxi ride to wall street.

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